The Observer
by Bakura's Guardian Angel
Summary: He was the nonessential. The unimportant. Always an onlooker, never a participant. He was an observer... But that isn't what he wanted, and no one else could see that.


A/N: Originally my formatting was different. The _Italics _were Right-aligned. Since that isn't possible on , you'll have to bear with me.

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He sits, observing. That's all he ever does, really… He observes. He watches, a quiet onlooker, forever regarding the situation at hand as it plays out… Like a scientist analyzing an experiment. Change a variable, turn the tables, observe. But, no matter what, don't interfere. Stay on the sideline. He's the nonessential, the unimportant, the one who watches. So he won't interfere…and yet…

That isn't what he asked for. That isn't what he wants.

_I'm right here, Yuugi-kun. Right here. _

Is he so dull, so uninviting, that he repels others? Is that why they avoid him? Is it the rumors that float around him, clinging to him like a stench that's impossible to be rid of? Is it pure, primal instinct of the people around him that secludes him, keeps him in his role as spectator, onlooker, forever the witness never the participant? Is it even his fault? Is it any act of _his_ that causes this…loneliness? Never to join the perfect crowd before him, never to be a part of that happy group…or perhaps he truly _doesn't_ belong.

_Am I invisible? I'm right here… Notice me. _

And he watches.

"Hey, Yuugi-kun. Honda and I are on for tonight. Did you talk to Anzu?"

_What about me, Yuugi-kun? Don't forget me._

"Yeah, she said she can come. It's going to be great. Oh, did Honda invite Miho?"

"Are you kidding? The guy wouldn't leave the school without her!"

He turns his face, looking out the window, turning his observance to the park across the street. It's easier. The leaves on the giant trees, he notices, are just beginning to turn, going from the brilliant emerald green of late summer to the gentle golden, copper-browns, fiery oranges, and brilliant reds that come of fall. They glimmer as they twist and flutter in the light breeze that he can see but not feel. They tug against the branches restraining them, like they want to escape, to be free. The sun, still warming the atmosphere, not ready to give in to the biting edge of autumn just yet, sparkles and sends beams of light into the dusty classroom, like molten bronze.

_I'm here. Right here. Notice me. _

When he closes his eyes, he tries to keep the image of the changing leaves, of the warm rays of sun, in his mind's eye. He tries to preserve that perfect image, keep it safe, hidden inside him to look back at on a day when he truly needs it… But it fades and fades, being swallowed by the darkness behind his closed eyelids and he finds that he has to open his eyes to see the colors again. To remember them.

_Please remember me… Please don't forget. Don't let me fade. _

The bell rings. He still sits there, though, as other students file past him, chatting animatedly. Their conversations are lost on him now. His observant attention is trapped in the colors outside, just beyond his reach. He closes his eyes again, holding the image until it fades. He realizes that the colors, fading already, are only to be observed behind the glass, not touched. Just like—

"Yuugi?"

His thoughts are interrupted.

"Hold on just a minute."

The voice is coming closer to him. Yuugi's voice.

His eyes flutter open in a desperate, almost frantic hope. It can't last. The hope is frail. Easily broken. But maybe...just this once… And then a cold ice forms in his chest. It spreads, hardening around him. He tries to turn, to move, but he's frozen…just like that ice. He's trapped. Observing. Watching. Not interfering.

"Hey, um…Bakura-kun?"

_I'm right here, Yuugi. _

"I was just wondering if you'd like to come to my grandfather's game shop this afternoon. The gang and I are going to order a pizza."

_See? I'm not invisible. Don't give up on me, not yet._

Silence. A breath. Then, "…Thank you Yuugi-kun. But, actually, I'm busy this afternoon."

He wants to deny the words that just left his mouth. He immediately wants to take them back. But he can only watch as Yuugi asks, crestfallen, "Again?"

_No, no I'm not. _"Yes, unfortunately, perhaps next time though." He says, tossing his book bag over his shoulder and standing up.

And he walks away. Yuugi watches, standing alone beside the abandoned desk, turns his face away, but he quickly dismisses his rejection. He has other friends, and, of course, he only invited Bakura-kun because he felt bad…right?

_Please, Yuugi-kun…I'm right here. _

Yuugi has no need for him. He's been rejected enough times to learn that Bakura-kun doesn't associate with the other students, any of them. It didn't hurt to try, but it doesn't matter anyways. He obviously isn't a participant.

He's an observer.

An onlooker.

_Notice me._

The nonessential.

The unimportant.

_Remember me._

He doesn't interfere.

And the ice in his chest thaws. The wind, the wind he can feel now, blows against his skin like a caress, brushes against his ears like a cold, amused laugh. He pauses, turns, watches Yuugi join with Jou, Honda, Anzu, and Miho. And they walk away…

_Don't leave me._

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A/N: Yes. So this is a rather...vague One-Shot. It isn't so clear cut as my fics usually are. You have to, you know, read between the lines a little more.

Oh and **PLEASE** review? My goal for this One Shot is **8** Reviews. You could make it happen, and it would only take you a few minutes!!!

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